How your office-based work can impact your pelvic floor (and what to do about it)
Imagine a gate that hasn’t been used for a long time, the
hinges have got all rusty. You go up to the gate and start pulling at it to get
it open. It’s stiff at first and you have to pull really hard, but eventually
it creaks open. The hinges have got so rusty though that they have completely
corroded and break as the gate opens.
Well this is kind of what happens to your body if you live a sedentary
lifestyle. You lose mobility in your joints, some muscles get stressed and weak
from over use, causing the aches and pains that are so familiar, some muscles
get short and tight and weak.
All this lack of mobility, tightness, weakness and stress pull your pelvis out
of alignment and stops your pelvic floor from being able to hold everything in
properly.
On top of that the chairs designed these days only allow sitting on the back of
the pelvis rather than the ‘sitting bones’ which means you sit every day
stressing your back muscles and spine and tightening up your pelvic floor
muscles.
Imagine if you sit for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for 47 or so weeks of the
year that adds up to 1880 hours in one position. Something that can’t be
altered by an hour a week or an hour a day of movement.
You can feel this yourself – how often do you get up after a long period of
sitting to feel it in your back or shoulders. Maybe you feel fuzzy headed or
you find you are ‘getting a knee’ or you find it worsens your pelvic floor
symptoms.
So what can you do?
Well, move more and move more often. If you give yourself a 2minute break every
half hour. Spend time doing some stretches, moving your body, resting your eyes
and getting your circulation moving?
Not only would it mean your body would feel better but you would also find your
head works better – it will be easier to concentrate and keep the ideas
flowing.
You can even incorporate the exercises whilst you are working, have a stretch
while you are reading emails for example.
If you create a dynamic workstation so you can move from sitting in a chair to
standing and then sitting on the floor or have a chair that enables you to sit
cross legged or kneel you can drastically change posture without being less
productive.
It doesn’t take much, just some thought and habit changes and it can be the
greatest act of self-care you can give yourself.
I currently have my Movement Breaks programme available with £10 off until
Christmas. You get 20 exercises split
into 4 mini routines covering shoulders and head, back and legs, arms and hands
and feet. Information on dynamic workstations and reminders that you can
printout for around the office and pin to your computer to keep you motivated
to do the exercises.
Just £27 until 25th December just enter MOVE10 at the checkout.
Movement Breaks –
(labyrinthofnurture.co.uk)
Rosie Dhoopun is an antenatal teacher, pre-and postnatal exercise teacher, pelvic floor restore coach, babywearing consultant, massage therapist, Birth Art Mentor and has trained in a variety of postpartum support techniques.
She runs classes both online and in person helping women with pelvic floor issues, pelvic pain and period pain.
